What to do in Seattle?

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K

kyzen

Golden Member
Oct 4, 2005
1,557
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www.chrispiekarz.com
My girlfriend and I are trying to plan our annual summer vacation. She really has her mind set on Seattle, Washington.

In the past everywhere we've gone we've either had friends who could drive us around or lend us a car, or just not had a need for transportation (Vegas). In Seattle we don't know anybody, and probably won't have the budget to rent a car.

So, I'm coming to you fine folk of ATOT for suggestions on where to stay, and what to do?

Difficulties include the limited budget (not super small, but the less we spend the better), and a lack of transportation - that includes from the airport to the hotel and back.

Any suggestions here?

Where to stay?

Things to do?

Places to see?

How can we get around?

Feedback will be appreciated :)

 
F

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
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If you're going in summer you're going to want to rent a car and go to Mt. Rainier. Seattle is a nice city to visit but I couldn't imagine going out of my way to vacation there.

Maybe there is some good public transport to there but the only reason to vacation in Washington is the outdoors.
 
K

KillerCharlie

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2005
3,691
68
91
Seattle isn't the greatest city by itself. However, everything around Seattle makes it one of the best places to live in the country.

Your options are limitless from late June to September. If you're here then, definitely go to Mt Rainier one day. There are tons of incredibly beautiful hikes (see here for some pics).

You can also go kayaking in the San Juan islands and watch for killer whales (which you typically have a good chance of seeing during those months).

If you drive 3-4 hours west you can literally camp on the beach (which is usually pretty isolated during the weekdays) at Olympic National Park.

If you can't go outdoors, then you're kind of missing what makes the area so awesome.
 
EvilYoda

EvilYoda

Lifer
Apr 1, 2001
21,198
9
81
It's a nice city to walk around it...the usual downtown attractions are Pike Place, the Space Needle, EMP, the new public library...I'd also suggest getting a car and driving around. It's so beautiful there, a lot of nice neighborhoods to just look around in too.
 
evident

evident

Lifer
Apr 5, 2005
12,132
754
126
Originally posted by: EvilYoda
It's a nice city to walk around it...the usual downtown attractions are Pike Place, the Space Needle, EMP, the new public library...I'd also suggest getting a car and driving around. It's so beautiful there, a lot of nice neighborhoods to just look around in too.
Click to expand...

yep. i did all those in one day when i went up for 3 days for an interview w/ microsoft. i was by myself, but it was still a blast! i wish i had more time to camp and see the national parks outside the city!


something that really surprised me about hte city though, there are TONS, i mean tons of homeless people at night! i've never seen that many concentrated in such a small area before. i dont know exactly where i was in the city, but it was pretty much all over. i just remembered a park area near a club called "the last supper" and they were just running around all over they were pretty upbeat and not depressing, surprisingly. what's the reason for that?
 
skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,781
5,941
146
Metro for cheap transportation.
Take the bus to :
Pike Place market, then down the hill to the waterfront.
Seattle Center, with the Experience Music Project, Space Needle, Pacific Science Center.
Ballard Locks. This is a good spot on a nice day, with all the big$$ boats and crew passing through. This one is free!
Rent a car for one day, and drive around Mt. Rainier. Go up 410 to Sunrise Visitor Center first, then continue east on 410 to 123, Cayuse Pass.
Go back into the park at the Stevens Canyon entrance, on up to Paradise.
Leave the park via Longmire and highway 7.
This will take all day with a very early start, but is worth it.
 
F

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
3
0
Anyone know whether non-UW students can rent the sailboats near the stadium? That would be good, too.. but when I did it I was with students.
 
skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,781
5,941
146
It's about 15 miles more or less. Staying downtown will be the pricey part, but might well be worth it. Transit will get you there.
 
M

mundane

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2002
5,603
8
81
You can catch the bus from Sea-Tac to the city proper, it's how I got into town to visit my then-gf (attending Seattle U). I don't recall how long it was, probably 30-45 minutes (or better?)
The metro system isn't bad, if a bit crowded at times. And yeah, I have yet to see that density of homeless people anywhere else.
We had fun one weekend taking the ferry to an island (Bainbridge?). Beyond that, there's a ton to keep you busy in the city (Pike's Place, City Center, the Underground, etc). I never had the time/money to rent a car to visit the surrounding area, which I hope to rectify on a future vacation.
 
J

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
81
Originally posted by: Farang
Anyone know whether non-UW students can rent the sailboats near the stadium? That would be good, too.. but when I did it I was with students.
Click to expand...

You can rent the canoes, but not the sailboats unless you're in the club. Renting the canoes is a neat way to waste a few sunny summer hours, though. Bring a swimsuit...the water's great.

Seriously, though, you gotta go hiking/kayaking/other outdoorsy activities while you're here.
 
EvilYoda

EvilYoda

Lifer
Apr 1, 2001
21,198
9
81
Originally posted by: kyzen
Sounds good so far. We were really hoping to avoid rental fees, as those can get stupidly pricey.

How far is the airport from downtown?
Click to expand...

You never know...you should easily be able to priceline a mid-sized car for $20/day. If you're renting from Thursday to Monday, it's the best time since that's their "weekend rate". I just rented a mid-size in Phoenix for that rate and probably could've done better.
 
Scarpozzi

Scarpozzi

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
26,392
1,780
126
Maybe catch a Mariners game. (if you like baseball)

Umm...I'm sure there are probably indian tours and whale tours, etc....look for touristy stuff like that. Check out downtown and look for local markets.
 
K

kyzen

Golden Member
Oct 4, 2005
1,557
0
0
www.chrispiekarz.com
Let's see what you afternooners have to say about this.

Presently we're thinking either June 12th to June 17th, or June 19th to June 24th (whichever results in cheaper airfare/hotel costs).

And we've more or less decided against a rental car in our initial planning - if we find ourselves out there absolutely needing a car to get around, we'll deal with it then, but as far as planning the trip goes, we're going to be assuming we're carless :)
 
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